I searched the message boards for fatigue because I figured it had been written about often but only 5 posts came up.

I posted my story a week or so ago where I have had approximately 8 small strokes with no major physical damage, just cognitive.

Here is my question. I am so wiped out I can hardly function. I had a pretty good day on
Wednesday but Thursday and Friday were 15-16 hour sleep days. I do 11 at night and then have to take two naps during the day. I was super active with two gardens and a greenhouse but if I go out and piddle around in the garden for 10 minutes I am exhausted. I am so sad about that too. My husband and daughter were teasing me yesterday because I am so pale they think I am turning into a vampire. We all got a good laugh but I look like crap. I have read were people who have major physical problems have to focus so hard that it is just exhausting to them but what about me? I have emotional, memory and fine motor skill issues but no major physical damage. The cause is a deep artery in my right frontal lobe that is like a kinked hose. It likes to collect clots and now I am on Plavix. If I keep having strokes they are going to put me on an injectable blood thinner but the neurologist said there could be "complications" to doing that because my heart is in excellent condition. Usually blood thinners are given to people who have a heart or large artery involvement.

Is this normal? I realize I have damage in several places in my brain but they are small. I feel as if I could sleep all the time. I feel like crap but Wednesday I felt pretty good and got my hopes way up.

Oh yes, the fatigue factor. A misery. I think of all I used to be able to pack into the day......no more. Sometimes it's so bad I think, "I've had another TIA."

To be encouraging though, I'll say there are days when I wake up and feel more refreshed and energized, know I'll be able to do what I want to, more or less. What I will not do is fault myself or my brain. My metabolism was also affected, as was appetite. I suddenly crave sweets. Taste buds were affected, emotions were affected, digestion was affected, breathing was affected. But my fierce Will is a powerhouse, at least on some days.

One big reason for the Will is how my sibling with his TIA's and strokes caved in. "Tired and exhausted," was his constant refrain. He got worse and worse and worse. That is the core of my daily sorrow and the fire in my refusal to give in to anything.

Thanks! I think I need to hear a pep talk a bit. Realizing it has only been 8 days, being gentle with my brain is a good idea. Friday I tried to push through and control it myself and what a disaster. Yesterday I listened to my body and brain and rested/napped when it asked me to. I had better energy and didn't feel as if I was dying like Friday. Wow, that was scary. I really felt so tired I thought I was dying. Don't want to do that to myself again any time soon.

Weird but my sense of smell is much better. I even have my 14 year old daughter convinced I am a slight bit psychic since the stokes because I have read her mind a few times. 14 year olds tend to be rather transparent so it isn't too difficult. She keeps giving me a sideways look. That has been fun.

I won't give up and be exhausted all the time but I won't push my brain to do things it is too tired to do. I like the "Fatigue Factor". It could be like hunger. Your body is hungry so you feed it. Your brain is tired so you rest it.

Definitely smell more on my walks: cut grass, pine trees, flowers, the earth, esp. after some rain. Definitely listen to the life energy the brain initiates.....or, not. Go with the flow. Go easy. The general curve is toward improvement. Agree that we become somewhat psychic. In my case the right brain had to wake up because there was a left brain injury.

Children are remarkable. Your daughter will learn so much from your example of courage and fortitude. It is likely to bring you closer. This is what I have aimed for with my two who are grown. There is a strange upside to stroke as if the brain wants to make up for the deficit. Hope all is well with you and everyone else.

Today has been a better day but I didn't get my walk in. I did plenty of other things though. I have been wondering what kind of over-the-counter medication I can take with Plavix? Aspirin, ibuprofen? What can a girl do when she has an achy back from not doing as much as she use to?

I live in the forest a long way from anywhere and I have noticed the earth-smells more keenly than ever before. Yesterday I could smell the moisture in the ground from the rains a few days ago. It smell so good. My garden is another place that brings me awe. I am so lucky to be able to go out there and pull a week or two that I am thankful beyond words. I know there is a silver lining in all of this (plus huge medical bills) and I am only seeing the tip of the iceberg so far. I am seeing everything with very different eyes than I had a month ago. The gift of a stroke...who would have thunk it?

Hello and Welcome.
I am so sorry to hear what you are going through. Im glad the doctors found out what it was before you suffere any further strokes. Your question about the fatique is a common question all of us ask untill we create a better understanding of stroke and our recovery. It is a common thread and all the stroke survivors here will agree we battle with a lack of energy. However, it does get better. In the beginning I was napping 2 or 3 times a day maybe more. I would also need rest periods in the quiet to boost my battery my family would say. Now I have a nap in the afternoon for 1 hour and it does the trick. I still am limited on my activites and what I can accomplish in a day but I have continued to improve over the last 2 years. Please dont get discouraged, YOu will improve as time goes on. Continue to push forward but in saying that please take care and remember you are recovering. Give your body the rest it needs because sleep is healing. When we have a stroke our brain swells and it takes time for the swelling to go down. Where you are now is not where you will be 6 months from now. You very early in recovery, give yourself time, be kind to yourself and remember, you will recover. Please keep posting and let us know how your doing.
It takes great courage and strength to step forward in stroke recovery. This too is a common thread among us all. God Bless Mulchie

Never any concern about posting, there is only so much time and energy. It remains discouraging to fall asleep almost as soon as I sit down. See the start of a show and think, "This will be good." The next thing I know the show is over. Used to be a great reader. Read a few pages and I'm out.

So a key word is Tolerance. Give in to rest, the brain must heal. My next key word is Gratitude: there is so much to be thankful for in the midst of a stroke. It gives me a consciousness of my brain I never had before. It gives me the present moment with all I can do as never before.

Diet, exercise, avoiding stress, meditation are big. My primary goal is to not get zapped again. My sibling had many more TIA's, more strokes, and lost his mind. There is much to lose and so much to fight for. As to what you can take for pain, your doctor will know best. I deal with it myself. Walking is my reward every afternoon. It is daily therapy, physical and mental. Come back refreshed, so thankful I can walk out there and be part of nature.

The following user gives a hug of support to tinam7:Mulchie (08-27-2012)

Naps are lovely aren't they, though not necessarily as refreshing as they once were, or so it seems to me.

Thought I'd add that I also think some of this has to do with blood pressure. It is very important for us to keep it down, but then there is perhaps more fatigue and less energy. On days when I feel more energetic I also have a harder time getting good BP readings. Am I imagining this?